Bus carrying University of Maine athletes crashes in Georgetown

Police investigate crash of bus carrying college students

UPDATED 10:32 AM EST Feb 27, 2013

GEORGETOWN, Mass. -

A bus carrying the University of Maine women's basketball team ran off a highway north of Boston, leaving a player with a broken hand, the head coach with minor facial cuts and the driver seriously injured.

The driver of the bus was identified as Jeffrey Hamlin, 55, of Charleston, Maine. He remained at Boston Medical Center with serious injuries Wednesday.

"A commercial passenger bus was heading southbound when it crossed the median and went into woods adjacent to the northbound side," said Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio.

The bus, which belongs to Cyr and Sons of Old Town, Maine, was taking 22 college athletes from the University of Maine women's basketball team to Boston, according to State Police.

Police were investigating whether Hamlin may have suffered a "medical incident."

Police said there were serious injuries to the driver of the bus, but the injuries to the students and coach Richard Barron were minor.

Former WNBA recruiter, now Maine assistant coach Jhasmine Player said Wednesday the team and coaches are blessed to be alive. “Our head coaches were able to tell us to get down and brace ourselves," Player said.

Georgetown Fire Chief Albert Beardsley said it was a miracle no other cars were involved.

“This is a very heavily traveled road, day and night, and for a bus that size to basically catapult across the road, I couldn’t imagine being northbound and seeing that thing coming at me,” Beardsley said.

“We hit the strip, and that is how we knew something was going on," Player said. "From there, all I saw was lights. The only screams we heard were from our coaches who told us to get down and stay down."

Player said she was amazed at how fast people were at the scene to help them out. "I just remember people helping us out of the woods. A very nice lady was letting some of us in her car to get out of the cold."

The university said "three team members were transported to an area hospital for observation -- players Ashleigh Roberts and Corinne Wellington and Samantha Wheeler, the team's director of basketball operations."

State police said other students were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries. The players have since been released.

Hamlin was taken by medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center and remains in serious condition.

The team was scheduled to play at Boston University Wednesday night. That game has been cancelled.

“We're very thankful that this accident was not any worse than it was,” said Robert Dana, vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Two lanes of I-95 northbound were shut down for a time near the Route 133 exit.

Federal records reviewed by Team 5 Investigates show Cyr buses were involved in three crashes in the past 24 months. There were no deaths or injuries, but in each case, the bus had to be towed.

Those same records show it operates a fleet of 22 motor coaches and more than 200 school buses. Its most recent safety rating, which was current as of January 2013, was satisfactory.

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